About Phil Vassar
Phillip George Vassar Jr. is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw , Jo Dee Messina , Collin Raye , and Alan Jackson . In 1999, he was named by American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers as Country Songwriter of the Year.
Later that same year, Vassar was signed to Arista Nashville as a recording artist. His debut album, Phil Vassar, was released in early 2000, producing five hits on the U.S. Billboard country singles charts and earning a gold certification in the United States. He followed it in 2002 with American Child, Shaken Not Stirred in 2004, and finally Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 in 2006 before Vassar left the label for Universal South Records . His first album for that label, Prayer of a Common Man, was released in early 2008. He has charted nineteen singles on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, including two which peaked at No. 1: 2000's "Just Another Day in Paradise" and 2004's "In a Real Love".
Vassar was born May 28, 1962, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. While there, Vassar had taken up playing the piano, and eventually found work as a singer in clubs. He was also a member of the Eta Kappa chapter of the Theta Chi fraternity. He then decided to move to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in music. Eventually, he was signed to a small publishing contract, but was unable to land any hits on this contract.
Starting in the late 1990s, Vassar began writing songs that were recorded by several country music artists. Among the artists who recorded his material were Blackhawk , Collin Raye , Jo Dee Messina , Tim McGraw , Alan Jackson , and Neal McCoy . Of them, "Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright", and "Right on the Money" all reached No. 1 on the country chart. "Bye, Bye" earned Vassar his first American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers award for Song of the Year, and in 1999 he was named ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year.
In late 1999, Vassar was signed to his first recording contract, with the Arista Nashville label. His debut single, "Carlene", was issued that year, and by mid-2000 the song had gone on to peak at No. 5 on the Billboard country charts. It featured a backing vocal from Collin Raye.
The song was the lead-off single to Vassar's self-titled debut album, which he co-produced with Byron Gallimore. "Carlene" was followed by "Just Another Day in Paradise", his first No. 1 hit as a singer. Shortly after that song peaked, Tim McGraw topped the charts with "My Next Thirty Years", which Vassar co-wrote. Overall, Phil Vassar produced three more singles: the No. 16 "Rose Bouquet", "Six-Pack Summer" at No. 9, and finally "That's When I Love You", with a backing vocal from Jo Dee Messina, at No. 3. In addition, the album earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping 500,000 copies. Its success led to tours with Kenny Chesney.
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